Surface cleaning head for vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A surface cleaning head includes dual rotating agitators (e.g., a leading roller and a brush roll) and a removable cover for covering a top of the agitators and allowing access to the agitators from a top of the surface cleaning head. The dual agitators may be used to facilitate capturing of debris in the air flow into a suction conduit on the underside of the surface cleaning head. The brush roll may be located in a brush roll chamber and at least partially in an opening to the suction conduit. The leading roller may be positioned adjacent to and in advance of the suction conduit opening such that the leading roller engages debris and moves the debris toward the brush roll and the opening. The leading roller may be removable from the housing and held in place by the removable cover. The cover may be coupled using isolated latching mechanisms.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A surface cleaning head comprising:
 a housing having a front side, a back side, a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a top side, and an underside;   a first agitator rotatably mounted to the housing and extending partially beyond the underside;   a second agitator rotatably mounted to the housing in front of the first agitator such that the second agitator is closer to the front side of the housing than the first agitator is to the front side of the housing; and   a cover removably coupled to the housing and defining at least a portion of the top side, the cover configured to extend over the first agitator and at least partially over a top portion of the second agitator leaving a front of the second agitator exposed;   wherein the second agitator is removable and is held in place by the cover when the cover is secured to the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the second agitator is removable when the cover is removed. 
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the cover engages at least one end of the second agitator and holds the second agitator in the housing when the cover is secured to the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one latching mechanism configured to engage the cover to removably couple the cover to the housing, wherein the latching mechanism includes a latch finger configured to engage the cover proximate the front of the housing when the cover is coupled to the housing and a latch actuator configured to retract the latch finger and release the cover. 
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the second agitator includes a cleaning element that is softer than a cleaning element of the first agitator. 
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the second agitator has a smaller diameter than the first agitator. 
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the first agitator includes at least one arrangement of shorter stiffer bristles and at least one arrangement of longer softer bristles, wherein the longer softer bristles are longer and softer as compared to the shorter stiffer bristles. 
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the cover includes a bumper located at the front side of the housing when the cover is coupled to the housing. 
     
     
         9 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 8 , wherein the bumper includes at least a portion that extends in front of the leading roller. 
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the cover is completely removable from the housing. 
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one latching mechanism configured to engage the cover to removably couple the cover to the housing. 
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the latching mechanism includes first and second latching mechanisms proximate the first lateral side and the second lateral side, respectively. 
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the latching mechanism is isolated from an agitator chamber, the agitator chamber configured to receive at least a portion of the first agitator. 
     
     
         14 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the latching mechanism includes a latch finger configured to engage the cover proximate the front of the housing when the cover is coupled to the housing and a latch actuator configured to retract the latch finger and release the cover. 
     
     
         15 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the latching mechanism is configured to engage a front portion of the cover proximate the front of the housing, and wherein the cover includes at least one tab extending from the back portion of the cover for engaging the housing. 
     
     
         16 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein the latching mechanism includes at least one latch actuator disposed on the housing, the at least one latch actuator configured to release the cover from the housing. 
     
     
         17 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of teeth configured to engage the second agitator. 
     
     
         18 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of teeth are disposed between the first agitator and the second agitator. 
     
     
         19 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of teeth extend from a wall, the wall separating the first agitator from the second agitator. 
     
     
         20 . The surface cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein at least an inside upper portion of the second agitator is not exposed to a primary air flow path into an opening of a suction conduit while at least an inside of a bottom portion of the second agitator is exposed to the primary flow path into the opening of the suction conduit.